Dix man sentenced in meth case

Tuesday

Sep 24, 2013 at 6:04 PM

By James Postjpost@the-leader.com

A Dix man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on federal charges related to a May 2011 raid on a meth lab at his residence.John Barton, 33, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Charles Siragusa in Rochester federal court.Barton was convicted earlier this year of conspiracy to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; using his residence to manufacture, distribute and use methamphetamine and marijuana; and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.Prosecutors say Barton and two other men, Shawn P. Rickard and Chad Speicher, manufactured and distributed large amounts of methampetamine between 2009 and 2011.According to police, in May 2011, a search at Barton's Roloson Hollow Road residence turned up an active meth lab in a shed on the property. During the search – conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York State Police, the Schuyler County Sheriff's Office, the Schuyler County District Attorney's Office and the Watkins Glen Police Department – officers also discovered eight firearms, one of which was loaded, and more than $8,000 in cash. In a house on the property, police recovered approximately a pound of marijuana.Officials at the time said it was the largest meth bust in state history.Last week, Rickard, 39, was sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of firearms in the furtherance of drug trafficking activities.Speicher, of Beaver Dams, pleaded guilty in January 2012 to a narcotics conspiracy charge and is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday.